Thursday, April 5, 2012

Bully

As a mom, I worry a lot about my children. It seems the worrying doesn't go away, ever. I remember when I was a new mom I thought sleepness nights and constant diaper changes were going to be the hardest part of motherhood. As my children grow, I realize that each stage brings new challenges.

My oldest son is in grade one, and he loves school. He has great friends, wonderful teachers, and happily looks forward to school every day. I literally have to drag him home after school, after he's played with friends on the school yard for almost an hour every day. It is wonderful to see his innocence and happiness, and I hope it will always be this good for him, and for my youngest son. I'm sure they'll have rough patches like all children do throughout their childhood and teenage years, but I pray that they never experience being bullied.

When I was in middle school, I was bullied. I was beat up pretty bad, and thrown up against a locker. When I finally made it home, I burst into tears as soon as I saw my mom. The next day, we were in the principal's office along with a police officer and the person who had attacked me. Looking back, I appreciate that the situation was taken seriously, and I am thankful my parents were there for me to make sure something like that never happened again. As a mom, I cannot imagine something like that happening to either one of my children.

Today, the bullying situation has escalated and millions of kids are bullied every day. The results are often devastating. I am hoping things change, quickly. We need to help teach our children that it's never okay to be mean to another child. On any level. And if our children are bullied, we need to be there for them. And we need to be loud.

I recently watched the trailer for the new movie Bully, and it brought me to tears. Knowing there are kids who take their lives because they've been that badly hurt by someone bullying them makes me livid, and every time I hear of a child suffering because they're being treated badly, it makes me want to scream.

Bully follows five kids over the course of a school year, and shows some very tragic outcomes, including the stories of two families who have lost children to suicide, and another mother waiting to find out the fate of her 14 year old daughter who is jailed after bringing a gun on a school bus. Throughout the film you'll also see how children behave in the classroom, in the cafeteria, and on the school bus. It's a hard film to watch, but it's worth watching.

Here is the official trailer:

Bully is now in select theatres. I'll be watching. And I can only hope this film sheds even more light on this major issue.

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. Find showings in your area for The Bully Project and buy tickets here.

4 comments:

My classmates and I were definitely guilty of bullying to varying degrees throughout elementary school. Looking back I can't explain why we did it or what compelled us to keep doing it?I guess maybe you make yourself feel better by making someone else feel bad as twisted as it sounds.. Maybe in the head of an 8 year old it makes some sense.

I still feel guilty to this day when I see any of the kids we used to pick on. It must have been so hard on them.. As a parent I cringe to think of the name calling and teasing we put kids through. So, from the other side of the coin than you - I'm really glad to see this issue is being addressed and taken seriously. The zero bullying policy is long overdue in our society.

I've been bullied, not to the extent these kids were, but enough that it made life unpleasant at points. The most I might have ever gotten in terms of physical was pushing.

My daughter starts kindergarten in the fall and both me and my husband are terrified for a number of reasons. One of our fears is she'll be teased or bullied. My husband was bullied as well and worse than I was, to the point he started karate to learn how to defend himself.

I don't want that to happen to my children and I hope I'll be able to provide them with the necessary tools to deal with it if it does. I also really hope that they don't become bullies either, though it is something I worry about given how they interact with each other, though that might just be sibling stuff.

It makes me so sick to see those poor kids bullied...I can't even imagine someone treating my child like that. I was bullied in the 5th grade and it happened alot because we moved around so much and kids didn't want to be friends with the "new girl".

My daughter Sofia is starting Kindergarten in September and I almost feel like keeping her back one more year because Im so nervous about how she will be treated. She is very friendly and outgoing and seeks kids to play with but I've already witnessed on the playground a few times children being bullies towards her .....I know kids can be mean but it makes me so paranoid :(